Francis neppert



(No Model.)

I'. NEPPBRT. PIANO STGOL.

No. 441,964. Patented Dec; 2, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS NEPFERT, oF NEW YORK, N. Y.

yPIANO-srool..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 441,964, dated December 2, 1890.

Application iiled November 2, 1889. Serial No. 328,986. (No model.)

.To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, FRANCIS NEPPERT, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piano Stools, of which the following is a speciiication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Figure l is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is an end elevation, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the seats and seat-frame detached and upon a reduced scale.

This invent-ion relates to that class of pianostools in which the seats are adjustable relatively to a stationary base; and it consists of certain novel features of construction and combination of parts, which will be clearly pointed out in the claims, and whereby the seats may be supported in different positions, as the players may require.

A B is the foot-piece or base, of which the parts A are preferably circular in cross-section, they being connected, preferably, near their lower ends by a cross girtor bar B', the frame thus formed being of some ornamental design.

C is a tube-section mounted in the base, it being preferably formed from a piece of gaspipe having a series of holes c c in one side.

D is another tube-section fitting closely within tube-section C, so as to rise and fall. To facilitate attaching a seat I propose to use a flange E, aiiixed to the upper end of tube section D by screw-threads or otherwise.

F is the base to which the upholstery is attached. The telescopic parts D E may, however, be made of cast metal, as convenience ofn manufacture or economy mayindicate, and while I prefer to use tubing which is round in cross section I do not wish to be limited thereby, and when ro und tubes are used I propose to groove one of them vertically and provide the other with a pin projecting,r into the groove to prevent independent rotation of one tube relatively to the other. By stopping the groove in the inner tube short of the bottom the shoulder which is thus formed will serve as a stop engaging with the pin, and thus prevent the parts from being accidentally separated.

G is alever, pivoted at g in the tube-section D and provided with a spring, as at g which serves to hold the parts in the position shown in full lines, Fig. 2, the lever being further provided at its lower end with a locking-stud a, adapted to be thrust through the tube-section D and into one or another of the holes c to support the tube-section D and its attached Aseat at various heights and to lock the parts in position, so that if the seat F be lifted up it will carry the base with it.

H is a rod supported at its ends in downward-projecting slotted brackets f below the seats, the rod being connected by a link h with the upper end of lever G, the tube-sec tion D having an opening d for the link h to pass through, thus constituting tripping devices.

From an examination of the drawings it will be understood that the springs g serve to retain the parts in the postion shown under ordinary circumstances; but when a person wishes to lower a seat it can be done by pulling the rod H toward the front edge of the seat, which will withdraw the pin ct from the hole which itoccupies in the tube-section C, when the seat can be let down until the pin can be thrust into one of the other holes by the action of the spring as the rod is released.

While in practice I prefer to apply the spring as indicated in the drawings, it is obvious that it might be used in an inverted position, or it might be attached to the upper end of the lever G, or it might be attached to the lower wall of the tube-section B, or auother form of spring might be used.

In order to provide a most desirable stool for duetlplaying, I propose to use two seats, both of which are horizontally movable as well as vertically adjustable relatively to their supporting frame or base, which is adapted to remain in a stationary position during the various adjustments of which the seats are capable. Whemthe seats are moved close togethergthe wei ghtof the player, who ordinarily sits about midway between their outer ends, is supported by both seats. Of course under ordinary'circuInstances and where two players can occupy seats of the same height without inconvenience no special advantage will arise from so supporting each seat that it can be adjusted both vertically an'd laterally independently of the other seat of the pair; but I prefer to adapt my invention for use under IOO a great range of varying conditions,so that it can be used simultaneously by, for instance', a teacher and avery young pupil. To attain these ends I propose to use a rising and falling frame or seat-support,which consists, essentiall y, ofthe parts I I .I J, of which the base pieces I I are by preference simply rectangular plates of Wood or other suitable material to be attached iirmly to the upper ends of the tube-sections D D. The opposite edges of these plates are beveled or rabbeted to engage with correspondingly beveled or rabbeted parts J J, which I prefer to call sliders,and which may be attached to the lower surfaces of the'bases F F of the seats, so that the seats can slide horizontally upon the plates I I. It will be seen that when used by a single player these seats can be moved close together and arranged in the same horizontal plane.

Prior to my invention dentists chairs had been` made with` a single base and single round upright standard having mounted thereon sockets adapted to rotate about such standard and vertically adjustable thereon, with horizontally-projecting extensible arms bent upward aty their ends to support seats, so that such seats could be moved horizontally toward and from the central supporting-stand ard. So, also, piano-stools have been made with horizontally-slidin g seats, both mounted upon a common rigid frame, each seat being vdivided horizontally into tWo parts, of which the upper part is mounted on an upright standard, the lower part having devices for supporting such standard at different heights,

the standards moving sidewise with the twopart seats. Hence I claim none of such abovereferred-to inventions.

l. The combination ot' the base, a rising and falling seat-support made in two sections,

'means forindependently locking the sections atdiferent heights from the base, and two seats mounted on the seat-supports and adapted to slide horizontally thereon, sub;Y stantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the stationary base, two telescopic tubes, two vertically-adjustable and sidewise-inoving seats, locking devices within the tubes, and tripping devices at- .tached to and moving sidewise with the seats 

